LEXINGTON, Kentucky – October 5, 2026 The University of Kentucky International Center announced the winners of its 2026 Global Impact Awards on October 5. The awards, established in 2020, honor global engagement activities by UK faculty, staff, and alumni. This year, six winners were selected across six award categories following review by the International Advisory Committee and input from campus stakeholders including the Staff Senate and past awardees.
The Community Partner Global Impact Award was presented to the World Trade Center-Kentucky (WTC-KY), a nonprofit that provides trade advisory, export and import services, and trade missions across Kentucky. The organization supports international business education at UK through its International Trade Certification program and scholarships for students from the Gatton College of Business and Economics and the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.
WTC-KY also connects UK students and faculty with Kentucky business leaders via guest speakers, applied learning opportunities, internships, and Global Executive Forums that bring business and government leaders to campus. The UK Alumni Global Impact Award was awarded to Michael W. Bowling, a 1990 graduate of the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering with a degree in electrical engineering.
Bowling earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University and began his career at BellSouth, focusing on global management and Latin American markets, serving in Mexico, Venezuela, and Peru. After AT&T acquired BellSouth in 2006, he became chief marketing officer for AT&T Business and later head of global strategy.
He played a role in AT&T’s 2015 acquisition of DirecTV and led DirecTV’s LATAM North business from Bogotá, Colombia, before overseeing all Latin American operations until his retirement from AT&T in 2022. Post-retirement, Bowling served as an executive in residence at the Gatton College of Business and Economics, where he developed UK’s first faculty-led education abroad initiative in Latin America, leading its inaugural cohort to Costa Rica in 2023. He also contributed to the creation of the student organization Global Leaders, which fosters leadership and professional skills among students.
The Global Impact Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements in International Research and Scholarship was given to Alan Fryar, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. Fryar’s research focuses on hydrogeology, particularly groundwater movement and sustainable water resource management in developing countries across North Africa and Asia. He teaches hydrogeology, hydrology, and environmental geology and directs research on groundwater systems and sustainability at UK.
Tim Barnes, acting associate vice president for global engagement at UK, stated that the awardees are making a positive difference at UK and beyond through their globally focused work and that it is an honor to recognize their outstanding contributions. Looking forward, the awards ceremony will be held on October 28.
